Which bacterium discovered in Japan can break down PET plastic?

Ideonella sakaiensis is the bacterium discovered in Japan that can break down PET plastic.

Researchers reported Ideonella sakaiensis in 2016 after collecting microbes from outside a PET bottle-recycling facility in Sakai, Japan. PET, or polyethylene terephthalate, is widely used in beverage bottles, food packaging, and synthetic fibers. The bacterium can use PET as a major carbon and energy source under laboratory conditions.

Its best-known enzymes are PETase and MHETase. PETase begins breaking the plastic polymer into smaller compounds, while MHETase further processes one of those products into terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol. These findings helped inspire research into engineered enzymes for plastic recycling.

The discovery does not mean that plastic disappears rapidly in nature. Ideonella sakaiensis grows under particular conditions, and industrial recycling still depends on temperature, processing, contamination control, and economics. It is also specifically associated with PET, not every kind of plastic.